Remembering Karl Bren, a Trailblazer in Affordable, Sustainable Housing
This February, the housing community lost Karl Bren, an instrumental leader who changed the landscape of affordable and sustainable housing across Virginia. Since the 1990’s, Karl was a key player in the creation of several nonprofit organizations and groups focused on affordable housing, homelessness services, and green building. Many people close to him attribute Karl’s tremendous achievements to his enthusiasm, perseverance, and love for people. To commemorate his legacy, we spoke with long-term friend and VCDC board member Bob Adams about Karl’s commitment to housing and creating a brighter world for Virginians.
Bob Adams has over 40 years of experience in the housing industry with focuses development, policy, funding, and consulting. He first met Karl in the 90’s while they were working at the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Of the many adventures Bob embarked on with Karl, he recalls that one of their first bonding moments happened during a trip to Appalachia where the two learned about housing needs in rural areas and developed an understanding of that community together. He said that Karl was always a people person, and much of his enthusiasm was driven by finding ways to meet community needs. Though Bob and Karl moved on to different organizations throughout their careers, they always stayed connected on affordable housing projects; plus, they were also just great friends.
Karl went on to work at Virginia Housing for over a decade, where he focused his efforts on providing support to nonprofits in housing and community development. He had an immense impact on not just supporting nonprofits but starting groups that continue to make affordable housing opportunities available.
He paved the way for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) in Virginia, which is designed to create high quality and complete housing communities for homeless adults interwoven with continuous supportive services and case management. According to Bob, Karl was always interested in finding ways to meet the needs of vulnerable communities and those dealing with high-risk situations, and thus after helping build the New Clay House community in Virginia, he founded Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH) with other dedicated volunteers to continue the PSH model throughout the state. Bob remembers that when New Clay House was first built, it wasn’t quite welcomed in open arms.
“There was a tremendous amount of community opposition,” Bob said. “I remember when we did the opening. The crowd was hostile; they were yelling at us...But, you know, Karl, he persevered.”
To date, Virginia Supportive Housing now offers over 650 housing units in 15 communities. The organization has been a statewide leader serving Virginia’s most vulnerable populations for over two decades. In 2021, VSH provided homes and services to over 1,565 individuals including 922 formerly homeless individuals, 186 low-income individuals, and 389 veterans and their families. Allison Bogdanovic, Executive Director of Virginia Supportive Housing, reflected on Karl’s character.
“Karl’s love for others was sincere, and he was determined to improve people’s lives with dignity and autonomy,” Allison said. “Jane (Karl’s wife) and Karl inspired me to serve more and persevere, to believe that you can change the world.”
Karl additionally founded the Hilliard House in Richmond, now Housing Families First, to create a homeless shelter and transitional housing designed for women and families with children. He was also a founding board member of Better Housing Coalition, which he helped garner support by recruiting Richmond residents to raise money for more affordable housing opportunities in the city.
Later in his career, Karl became a pioneer of environmental policy and eco-friendly building in Virginia. He started the organization EarthCraft Virginia, now Viridiant, to bring state of the art energy efficient construction techniques, materials and standards to Virginia. Viridiant is now Virginia’s most experienced leader in sustainable building verification.
“He started this work, really, when his grandkids were very young,” Bob explained, in reference to Karl’s inspiration to get involved in environmentalism. He was motivated by the idea of creating a better future for his grandsons and their generation.
Karl continued his work in environmental advocacy and energy efficiency through the United Methodist Church, the Virginia Sustainable Building Network, and through his consulting firm, Green Visions Consulting. He also helped start the Richmond Energy Alliance. “They were one of the first organizations to really be promoting residential solar in central Virginia,” Bob said.
What made Karl great at creating so many housing and environmental initiatives wasn’t just his skill and understanding of the industries, but it was also his ability to motivate others to create change and remain incredibly determined in the face of pushback.
“He had the ability to inspire people and bring them along to the issue that he was working on,” Bob said. “In our business, you don't always hit a home run. In fact, you can strike out a fair amount; some people find that discouraging. Karl was never discouraged...I think that kind of persistence, and also this amazingly resilient personality is a unique thing.”
Beyond his ability to motivate, Karl stood out in his eagerness to connect with all people. Bob remembered that when the two of them visited residents at Permanent Supportive Housing homes, Karl would spend all of his time chatting with residents and listening to their stories.
“He was the most personal and friendly person,” Bob said. “If he met you, he would want to sit down and have a 30-minute talk with you about your whole history, and he'd be trying to recruit you to stay in the housing business. He was that kind of guy.”
Karl Bren left a legacy on housing and sustainability that Virginians will forever cherish. A memorial service will be held to honor the life of Karl Bren on May 6, 2023. Those interested in attending can reach out to Bob Adams at bob@hdadvisors.net for more details.
Read more about some of the incredible organizations and initiatives Karl started that continue to innovate and change lives in Virginia: